Electrical apparatus for the local and distant repetition of movements



Oct. 2 1923. 1,469,438

J. F. GILL ET AL v ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVEMENTS Filed March 1. 1920 "I'Sheets-Sheet 1 I l lift/DQ155016 J1 6 11 LL JMGJzwvi/wra Attorney Oct; 2, 1923. I 1,469,438

J. F. GILL ET AL ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVEMENTS Fiied March 1, 1920 7 SheetS-Sheet-Z Fig. 2 Inv (er/tors J I G 1 UL J. N. Clad/v llama B ZW.fl/MM Oct. 2, 1923. I 1,469,438

.1. F. GILL ET AL ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVEMENTS Filed March 1, 1920 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 lzz/velvbom JTIF 6 1 LL Cluz/v ia/ra,

Afiorzugy Oct. 2, 1923. I 1,469,438

v J. F, GILL ET AL ELECTRICAL APPARATUb FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVEMENTS Filed March 1. 1920 Sheets-Sheet 4 Oct. 2, 1923.

J. F. GILL ET AL ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND 'DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVEMENTS 7 SheecS Sheet 5 Filed March 1; 1920 lira/enters 4 17:1. G i LL CZ'z/a/vllam 15 di /1% Amway Fig.6

Oct. 2, 923. 1,469,438

J. F.'GILL ET AL ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT REPETITION OF MOVBI IENTS F iled March 1, 1920 '7 Sheets-Sheet 5 Oct. 2 1923.

ELECTRICAL APPARATUS FOR THE LOCAL AND DISTANT HEPE'IITION OF'MOVEMENTS Filed March 1, 1920 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 Fig.8

fiw'eml' 6 bag JTLZ. Char/ma,

.129 awn W application of the invention to the transmit- Tob n whom it Patented Oct. 2, 19 23. s

, UNITED STATES 1,469,438 PATENT-OFFICE.

ruins raencrs GILL AND JoKnmcHo As crmvmnn, or LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND.

mornrcnnnrrm'ros mm m LOCAL Am DISTANCE nnnnrrrron or movnminrs; f

Application filed March 1, 1920. Serial No. 362,490.-

rBeit known that. .we, James Francis GILL and-dome Nrononas OHAvIAnA, subjectsof the King of' Great Britain andIreland, residing at 25 Castle Street, Liverpool, vEngland,- have invented certain new and useful Improvements Relating to Electrical Apparatus, for the Local and Distant Repetition ofMovements, of which the followingis a specification. g g r v v This. invention-relates to mechanisms of the type in-which transmittin and receiving mechanisms each fitted, wi an'electromagnetically operated stepping device are employed, the Stepping device of either mechanism being arranged to control the operation of the other mechanism,

Referring] to, the accompanying drawings Figure 1411s a longitudinal section of the transmittingemechanism of a telegraph con- 25. V removed, and Figure 3 is a front elevastructed inaccordence with this invention for use in navigational, electric power stationandother purposes; r

2 is a rear elevation with rthef'cover tion of the escapement mechanism.

. Figure t is a rear elevation, and Figure l 5 a front elevation of the circuit controlling de J ' Figure 6 is a longitudinal section of the receivinginstrumentt Figure 7 is a diagram-showing the wiring connections of the two instruments.

*Figure 8 is a sectional plan showing an ting mechanism' of an automatic water sounding apparatus or tide indicator.

Referring to Figures 1 5, the transmitting mechanism there shown contains two" independent (and preferably counterbalanced).' stepping devices adapted to produce opposite special construction. The two outerones 4 ping device isadapted to close a circuit con? nected to a1 point between the magnets of the, complementary instrument (in this case the receiver) and the contacts 0 are r specit *tively-connected to the ppposite ends of the magnets as fully set forth in British Patent 123,830 of June 28,1920. Thearbor g of the stepping device is provided with anes-s capement pawl or anchor h which can intermittently rotate in one direction an e-ss capement .wheel 11 tothe spindle of which is secured a, pinion jiand also a non-return ratchet is engaged by spring controlled I On a spindle'm is freely rotatable a bush the latter of which engages the pinion of the upper, escapement mechanism,rwhilst the former engages a planet pinion g on a contact carrier 1'. The said carrier is also rotatable freely on the spindle m. 'Sur:

rounding the bush n is another and relatively rotatablebush s also provided with a pair ,n to which is secured a pair ofpinions o p,

the contactcarrierr in one direction by the upper escapem'ent mechanism, and in the opposite direction by the r lower escapement mechanism. It will be understood that in operation the other'is stationary; i To the contact carrier is attached an index w movable over a dial a The spindle m has secured to it a contact disc y of in- -while one of the 'escapement mechanismsjs sulating, material, and another index z,vthe

spindle being'rotatable byhand. On both sidesof the disc y. are arranged concentric metal contact rings. In the arrangement shown ther'erare six rings on each side. The rings 2 on the rear side are continuous and act in conjunction with fixed brushes 3 (Figure. 4). On the front side the rings are of form two pairs all of which are insulated from each other, and each pair is constructed with ends which overla without touching as shown in Figure 5. nconjunction with each pair is arranged a V-shaped or knifeedge contact piece .,(6, 6,) carried on a spring'blade 7 which has a pivotal connection with the carrier 1*. \Vhen the brush 5 (indicated by dotted lines Figure 5) rests on the insulated portion between the ends of the rings at the battery circuit is open and the contacts 6, 6, then occupy relative positions which are also indicated by dotted lines in Figure 5. Rotation of the disc 3 in the clockwise direction causes the contact 6 to connect the pair of rings 8. Meanwhile the contact 6 remains on the outer ring of the pair 9, and is inoperative. Rotation In the anticlockwise direction causes the contact 6 to join the rings 9, whilst the contact 6 remains inoperative on the inner ring of the pair 8. The construction of the scrolls is such that either contact 6, 6, can be either operative or inoperative through a range of movement of the disc of about 270% Each ring on one face of the disc is electrically connected by a peg if passing through the disc to the ring immediately opposite on the other side of the disc.

Starting from the position shown, rotation of the disc in the clockwise direction, closes the battery circuit through the medium of the outer front rings 4, contact 5 and the corresponding rings and fixed contacts at the back of the disc. At the same time the inner pair of scrolls are connected by the contact 6, thus renderingoperative through the corresponding rear rings and contacts the particular stepping system of the transmitting and receiving instruments which is controlled by those connections. \Vhile the other stepping system remains inactive, the system'brought into operation produces motion of the contact carrier r and index 10 in the same direction as that in which the disc was moved. hen the contact 5 reaches the gap in the rings 4 the battery circuit is opened and the action of the instrument ceases. The movement imparted to the carrier is always equal to that imparted to the disc by the handle, and the index 10 comes to rest behid the index 2'. If due to any defect in the mechanisms the index 10 does not coincide with the index 2 when at rest, an indication of defective action is thereby given to the operator. Reverse movement of the disc causes the battery circuit to be again closed by the contact 5 on the rings 4, but now the contact 6' comes into operation and puts into action the other stepping system of the instruments, causing the carrier 1' and the index in to move in the reverse direction until the motion is again arrested by coincidence of the contact 5 with the insulated gap in the rings 4.

The receiving mechanism as shown in Fig. 6 is essentially the same the transmitting mechanism, excepting that it is pro vided with but one index and does not contain a contact device for automatically arresting the motion of the stepping devices,

this being unnecessa as the receiving mechanism is control] by the transmitting mechanism. The connections between the stepping devices and magnets of the transmittmg and receiving mechanisms are shown together with the'internal eonnoctions of each instrument and the battery connections in Figure 7. In Figure 6 the reference letters have the same significance as in Figures 1-3.

When it is deemed inadvisable to'break the battery circuit for stopping the ap arahis the battery may be connected as s own by dotted lines in Figure 7. In this case the battery current is always on and the stopping and starting of the apparatus is controlled by the contacts 6, 6' on the scrolls 8.9. The rings 4 and their associated contacts may then be dis ensed with.

For convenience of re erence, the coils of the electro-magnets, which, in Fi 1 and 2, are designated e, in Fig. 7 are esignated e, 6 e, and 6*. while in the last mentioned figure, the contact pieces designated 0, o, c and c are the same as those designated at 0 in Fig. 2. V

To follow the circuits shown in Fig. 7, it is necessary to consider only the upper coils and contacts of each instrument. Starting from the left hand side of the battery B and following the line B, through the two outer rings of the disc y,it will be found that the left end of the battery is connected to the right end of each of the coils e, and 6. Starting from the right side of the battery B and following the conductors marked 13, it will be found that the right side of the battery is connected to the left hand end of each of the coils e'and 0. When the instruments are at rest the stepping device will lie either to one side or the other of the center position and the adjacent contact will consequently be closed. Supposing c to be closed in the one instrument and c in the other, then 0 will short circuit e and 0' will short circuit 6'. In other words there will be two closed circuits in parallel in the instrument'one including 6 and e and the other including a and e. The circuit which contains a and 0 passes through the middle pair of rings 2 on the disc y.

Coils e and e are excited, and while the effect of c is to pull the adjacent stepping device a toward the closed contacts a, the effect of e is to pull the adjacent steppin device 0d the contacts 0 into the contacts 0 the intermittent or alternate action of the stepping devices proceeding in this manner, as fully set forth in British Patent 123,830, mentioned above.

hen the movements to begiven to the contact device in the transmitting instrument are necessarily small a modified form of contact device is used. For example our invention may be employed for indicating or recording depth of water in a particular position, the contact device being actuated by a flexible diaphragm through the medium of a lever. Referring to the transmitting mechanism of the sounding apparatus or tide indicator shown in Figure 8, a closed chamber 10 containing the transmitting mechanism is fitted with a flexible rubber or other diaphragm 11 which is exposed on one side to the water. On the otherside the diaphragm acts on a flexible cross bar 12 to which is secured a lever 13 which receives an angular movement when the bar 12 is deflected incident to pressure exerted upon the diaphragm 11. At its outer end the lever lies between two pairs of spring contact blades 14 carried on'a rotatable disc 3 The latter is rotatable through worm gearing 15 from epicyclic gearing actuated by one of a pair of stepping devices carried on a plate 16 in the chamber. The mechanism for actuating the worm gearing is essentially the same as that shown in Figures 15 and will bereadily identified in the drawing.

When used for sounding purposes the chamber 10 is lowered into the water, and when used as a tide indicator the chamber is secured in a pre-determined submerged position. Due to the pressure of the water the diaphragm is deflected inwards by an amount proportional to the pressure, and by means 0 the lever the upper spring contacts are pressed together thereby closing an electric circuit and setting one of the transmit ter and receiver oscillators in motion. By this motion of the transmitter oscillator the disc 3 is caused to rotate in the direction for restoring the original condition of the said contacts, and the amount of movement required to effect this condition is indicated in the receiving instrument which is fixed on ship board or on land in any desired position. The receiver movement is calibrated to indicate depth of water at the position of the chamber containing the transmitting mechanism. When the depth of water is diminished an opposite movement is given to the lever which now closes the lower pair of contacts and by thus bringing the other oscillators into action the disc y is moved in the reverse direction by an amount equal to themovement of the lever.

The apparatus comprising transmitting and receiving mechanisms are applicable with appropriate modification to a wide variety of uses. I

Having thus described our invention what we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is a 1. In combination, electrical transmitting and receiving mechanisms, a pair of electromagnetically actuated stepping devices in each mechanism, an electric circuit including said stepping devices, a' movable circuit controlling device interposed in said circuit and associated with said stepping devices, said circuit controlling device beingvmovable by externally operated means and by the transmitter stepping devices, an index in the receiving mechanism movable by the stepping devices in said mechanism, epicyclic mechanism whereby motion is imparted in each direction from the steppin devices to the index of the receiving mechanism and from the stepping devices to the circuit controlling device in the transmitting mechanism.

2. In combination, electrical transmitting and receiving mechanisms, a pair of electro-' an additional index in the transmitting mechanism movable in conjunction with the said externally operated means of the circuit controlling device, epicyclic mechanism whereby motion is imparted in either direction from the stepping devices to the index of the receiving mechanism, and from the stepping devices to one of the indexes and the circuit controlling device of the transmitting mechanism.

3. In combination, electrical transmitting and receiving mechanisms each mechanism comprising a pair of stepping devices, an escapement pawl on each stepping device, an escapement wheel in conjunction with each escapement pawl, a. ratchet wheel coaxial with each escapenient wheel, a pawl engaging said ratchet wheel, a pinion also coaxial with the escapement and ratchet wheel, said wheels being secured. together, two coaxial and relatively movable sets of sun pinions respectively engaged by the stepping device operated wheels, planet pinions engaging and actuated by the sun pinions, a carrier for the planet pinions, an index attachment to said carrier in both mech anisms, electrical contacts forming part of a circuit controlling device in the transmitting mechanism and actuated by the planet pinion carrier of that mechanism, and a disc carrying electrical contacts coacting with the aforementioned contacts and movable by externally operated means, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification.

JAMES FRANCIS GILL. JOHN NICHOLAS CHAVIARA. 

